One to Watch Wednesday

I’ve gone for something a bit different for this week’s One to Watch, with Dave Ocelots’ The Baggage Carousel. It is contemplative rather than action-driven, and follows the musings of a young drifter as he travels around the world. The sparky and witty narrative is anchored by a one-sided email correspondence with Amber, a girl he met in Africa and clearly adores. But why isn’t she replying to his emails – and, more disturbingly, does she even exist at all?

I was struck by the dark, dry tone and keen observational eye. I particularly liked this line: ‘So now, all the sights and sounds of Africa will self-incinerate like over-exposed film stock. Soon everything will be grey again’.

The language is hilarious and totally original. I really enjoyed the playful speculation that Dan’s backpack had committed suicide.This is great too: ‘Some travellers come to love their backpack, and even give it a name. It always seems to be Bertha, though. Conversely, I’ve always despised mine, it’s like lugging around an estranged Siamese twin: you want rid of it, but you know that it contains things vital to your survival. If I had previously given my bag a name it would have been Twatface or Slobodan Milosevic'.  

With March slyly peeping out from behind the heavy wall of February, this is a welcome injection of humour and foreign travel just we need it most. Here’s an extract in Dave’s own words:

Nobody goes anywhere without baggage.

Dan Roberts has a troubled past, anger management issues and a backpack named after an abducted heiress. A chance encounter with a free-spirited Australian girl seems to give his solitary, nomadic life a new sense of direction.
But when she doesn't respond to his e-mails, the only direction he's heading is down...
"The Baggage Carousel" is a darkly humorous novel detailing one man's relentless pursuit of unhappiness and a £36 loan.